I agree with Geoff* - oiling seems more likely to do harm than good if done at home.
If the outside needs cleaning, a light rub with a paste wax like Briwax every year or so is what I recommend - depending in the finish used. Paste wax solvents could conceivably attack some finishes ( but not shellac ). You may dislike the resulting 'feel', and it's not totally resistant to water.
A wee bit of Spit on a handkerchief should be sufficient to remove sticky deposits from the outside of a chanter ( caused by sweat, Guinness dribbles or chip and burger grease etc. )... some pipers lick their fingers before playing to get a better seal, or feel, on the chanter , well that is what I thought it was for....... but perhaps it depends what they'd been doing before hand ?
billh wrote: oiling seems more likely to do harm than good if done at home.
Could you expand a little on how it might do harm.
RORY
If the chanter is playing well and in tune with a 'dry' bore then oiling it may well cause it to swell internally and ruin the tuning /tone. Bearing in mind that in the throat region a very small change in dimension can cause significant alteration. When you have well respected pipemakers advising against it I can't understand why anyone would want to argue otherwise.
Tell us something.: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Maybe I missed something. I could have sworn someone asked about oiling the insides. I merely made a passing observation on the subject. Carry on, all.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
Tell us something.: I'm a fiddler and, latterly, a fluter. I love the flute. I wish I'd always played it. I love the whistle as well. I'm blessed in having really lovely instruments for all of my musical interests.
Location: Unimportant island off the great mainland of Europe
oliver wrote:I found that in Eddie Climo's handbook for pipers : "apply beeswax polish with a soft rag".
What do you think of it please ?
Hmmm,
I've never heard of this book , though some sort of practical handbook for pipers with tips for maintenance etc, is a very usefull thing.
I cannot see that a little applied Beeswax polish would do any harm if used sparingly.
)... some pipers lick their fingers before playing to get a better seal, or feel, on the chanter , well that is what I thought it was for....... but perhaps it depends what they'd been doing before hand ?
